Car-coupling.



A. F. SCNOEN & 3. W- DARLEY, ADMNISTRATDRS 0F 1. A. BUTKUEM DEC'D.

, CAR couvuue APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16. 9H. 1,289,646. Emma Dec. 31,1918. 2 SHEETS-SHEET Zizven Z01 5 J. A. BUTKUS & H. T. GAY. A. r. scuoeu a1. w. DARLEY. ADMINISTRATORS or 1. A. BuTKus. 0500..

CAR COUPLlNG. APPLICATION FILED IUNE I6. 19]].

Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. BUTKUS AND HERMAN '1. GAY, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND; ADOLPH FRED- ERICK SCHOEN AND JOHN W. DARLEY ADMINISTRATORS OF SAID JOHN A. BUTKUS. DECEASED: SAID ADMINISTRATOBS AND SAID CAY ASSIGNORS 0F TWO-FIFTHS T0 ADOLPH FREDERICK SCHOEN AND JOHN W.

DARLEY AS ADMINISTRATORS, ONE- FIFTH TO SAID GAY, SEVEN-TWENTIETHS 'IO ARTHUR KREATSCHMANN, 0F MOR- RELL PARK, MARYLAND, AND ONE-TWENTIETH TO WALTER J. WISCH, 0F BALTI- MORE, MARYLAND.

CAR-COUPLING.

Applloatton flled June 18, 1917. Serial No. 175,100.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN A. Emma and HERMAN T. Gar, the said Jorm A. BUT- xos being}; citizen of the United States andthe said ERMAN T. GA! 0. subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented newand useful Improvements in Car-Couplings,-

- of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improve ments in that class of carcouplers in'which are'employed hooked jaws which move in a In the description of the said invention which follows. reference'is-made to the ac (-mnpanvin rawings forming a part hereof. and in which-' exterior side-view of the Figure 1 is an two carscoupled tosrether adjacent ends of by mea s of our improved'coupler. ,Fig. :2.

is an enlarged top view of the couplers alone,

showing them as interlocked. Fitz. 3 is an exterior side view of Fig. 2. Fin. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 except that the couplersare shown therein as not-connected. Fig.

5 is a sectio al plan of one of the couplers with the various parts thereof ocou'pvi the s me relative position il ustrated in Fig. 4-.

Fizz. 6 is a section of F g. 5 taken on the dott d lines w-w. Fitz. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5 except that the various parts t ereof ar show as occunvin the sam relative positions i l s rated in Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is a section f Fig. 7 tak n on th dotted line 1/- 1/. Fin. 9 is an end view of Fig. 7 looking in the arrow. Fitz. 10

tion of certain-parts of the coupler, as hereinn tor described.

Fig. 1. are the adjacent platforms of two cars. It will be understood that the couplers direction indicated bv the is an enlarrred iew. in section. of certain parts hown in Fitz. 7. Fig.. 11 illustrates a modification in the onstrueof the two care are identical in construction, and consequently the description of one of them will apply to the other.

C is the draw head having the hollow extension a which serves as the draw-bar.

The draw head is hollow, and the outline of its extremity as seen from either the top or bottom, is concave or inwardly curved. One side of the curved extension of the draw head projects considerably beyond the other, thereby producing thehorn D, the purpose of which will hereinafter appear. Portions of the draw head are provided with strengtheni g beads or' flansres I).

;E is a hooked jaw mainly connected to, the .head C by the pin or look F which 711%88 through the upper plate 0 of the head which is provided with a boss (1 to strengthen it, .and is adapted to enter a hole e in the boss f ont e lower side of the under plate g of the head.

The hook proper h of the jaw is considerably thicker than the main portion within the head and the latter is provided with a hole 7' throun'h which the lock F passes wh n the couplers are interlocked.

Extendinq back from the h le 5 is a curved channel is the surface I of whi h is l wer at its rear e d t an at. t or on ndioin ng the hole, as shown in Figs. 6 and 8. The lock F. when the cars are uncoupled. rests on the lowest part of this inclined surface, and some resi ance is offered to the clos ng of the hooked iaw for the reason that in that operation the lock F is el vated. in other words. this c nstruct on of the hooked iaw prevents nociden al winging-in if the j w G is a second pin whereby the hooked j aw E is pivoted within the draw head C. It is provided with an enlarg ment or ball n at its upper end to pr vent it pas in z entirely through the draw head. The hole for this pin in the hooked iaw is round. but the holes 72 in t e upper and lower plates (2 and (7, respectivelm consist of curved slots. and consequently the pivotal point is variable to the extent of the length of the slots. The

Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

" rirrht han'dendot the slot object of this peculiar construction will be hereinafter described. a

The hookedja'w E has a curved and flared tail-piece 1 against which the hook of the hooked jaw of the adjoining coupler strikes and which effects the swinging-in of the jaw in the coupling operation. The swinging-in of the jaw is also effected by the horn b of the other coupler against which it strikes, and in practice one'of these expedients assists and cooperates ivith the other as the couplers come together.

While the pivotal point of the hooked jaw is susceptible of change in position as descr'ihcdfit is norlnallv fixed by means of the bar ll one end of which is pivoted to the jaw at a. The other end of the bar passes through a hole '1 in a pla.e I loosely inserted in the hollow draw bar a and bears against projections u. These projections are shown on an enlaraed scale in Fig.'1 0.'

Theend o-f'the bar has a knob which pre= rents its withdrawal from thuhole It and coiled about the said bar and confined end-' wise between the plate I and the lug 1v to which "the bar -is'-connected-,=' is a suitable hole, substantially as specified.

spring J. j v I The spring J is stitf'en'ough to keep the in a; in ordinary circumstances, against the or more propcrlv speakinsr. the pin and draw head 'inthe relative "positions sh wn in Fivsfl, 4:55 and 7' of th'e drawings. This'being'the case, when the hooked jaw is struck suddenly by the tail piece of thecorresponding couplerof theother ,Ca'rJor' by a link, should itbe neces-" s'nrvt'o couple wi'th' such device. it will yield slightly and thereby prevent injury't'o tl ie hooka'nd i'ts'connec'tionsl' The employment of the yielding pivot also admits of ii'l nited "outward movement of the locked hooks when the cars are rounding a curve. reducing a rigidity which might tend to place additional strain on the hooks at such time.

To ntlm lt of the connection of'the hooked jaw with pn ordinary coupli'nglink, whichin some cases may be necessary. the hook "s provided vith'a slot Kganda hole to forian ordinary coupling pin.

Anv suitable mechanism may be employed to lift the lock Fwithout going between the cars. but that which we prefer, consists of a lev'erll pivoted at a? to a bracket b projectintr frorrtthe top of 't'he' t raw head and 'p'i'voted to the pi'n,"a chain'M and a bell crank lever hl journal'ed at c to the platform of the can An alternate construction is hownin Fig. 11 in which the lock Fhas a ownwa rd extension (1 which passe'stlirough a slot e in the inclined bot om jot the channel I and a rog 0 having its'fulcrum 'f" unde'rneath'the tea Supposing the elements of the couplers to be 1n the relative positions shown in Fig. 4

withrthe locking pins resting on .the inclined bottoms of the channels is; as the cars are brought together, each hooked jaw is thrown in. either by its being struck by the tail piece of the opposite jaw, or by coming incontact with the inclined surface of the opposite horn, and as the locking pin is now dircctiy over the hole e it drops, and the coupling operation is completed.

The uncoupling is e'fieeted by merely raisingthe locking pins, the hooked jaws openin g outwardly in the separation of the cars hen the locking pins are again allowed to drop, they will rest'on the inclined bottoms of the channels is which hold them in an elevated position until the coupling operation described has to be repeated.

Having thus described our invention, we claim 1. In a car 'coupte-r, a pivoted hooked ja-whaving a .lock hole and a surface leading from the same which is lower than the upper surface-of the "jaw, the said surface beingdownwardly inclined as it recedes from said 'QHI-n a car coupler, the combination of a draw head' having a hollow draw bar extendinn," therefrom containing a plate. a hooked javir-v having 4 a variable pivotal point, a -bar pivoted to the said hooked jaw extendinga through-a hole in the plate in the hollow dnawsbarwith a knob at its end,and a springscoiled about the said bar and. confined endwise between the-plate and the hooked jaw,.-substantially as specified '31I'n a "car coupler. a ho low draw hea d having a verticallyextending lock hoie. and

the upper and lower plates thereof provided each'with a curved slot-the said siots being arranged one over the other and practically concentric with the lock hole. combined with a loose ioclna hooked jaw having a hole for the said lock. with a bottomed channel leading therefrom. substantially as described. a pivotal pi-n'secu-red in the said jaw ith its ends Which'project above and below the said jaw-inserted in the said curved slots. and

spring mechanism to yieldinglv hold thesaid pivotal pin atone end of the saidourved slots. substantially as and for'the purposespecifiedfi 4x1 11 car couplem a -hollow draw ha'vinsz' the upper and lower plates thereot provided each'with a lock'hole the saidh'oles being in ahnementt and also with a curved slot, the said slots also being in alinement one with the'other, combined with a verticallv movin locking pin in alinement with saidlock holes,'and a hooked jaw'having a lockh'ole and a bottomed channel leadinc therefrom, substantially as described; and provided with a securedpiahaving its it'd ends projecting above and below the jaw,the said projecting ends resting in the said slots in the upper and lower plates of the draw head, and spring mechanism to yieldingly 5 hold the said pivotal pin at one end of the said slots, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN A. BUTKUS.

' HERMAN T. GAY. Witnesses:

WALTER E. SMITH, EMANUEL DOUGHERTY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. O. 

